Remember, remember
by Esbatty
Summary: A series of very short works featuring Hunter and Ghost as they try to convince a familiar face to help them help the future
1. Remember, remember

_A war machine designed for protection was why she was created, to serve as an ageless defender of those more fragile and apt to mortality than herself. Now she is returned to purpose to rectify her failure in death, to restore peace and bring light to where the darkness wills..._

The Cryptarch arched a supercilious brow at the pair before him, "Could either of you remind me why you want me to read this aloud?"

The cloaked figure absently poked her knife in the direction of her puzzle-like companion, "because I am not a fan of Little Light's voice here."

"Hey, now", the light of its sensor aperture dimmed and its pearlescent parts flexed in frustration.

"I didn't give you that nickname", her thoughts reminded her of the strange weapon still slung across her back. "That was - whatever her name was."

The Ghost weaved between a passing fire team of Guardians that approached the bank of storage kiosks that sat before the Cryptarch's decoding station, "That wasn't why I was protesting to begin with."

"Sorry, I'm just not a fan because when you're not scanning ancient technology you're either telling me something is on its way to kill me or something is about to explode or both."

"Oh, I'm sorry for annoy-"

"I have better things to do than partake in a vanity project, Guardian. I've a backlog of engrams to decrypt and findings to catalogue."

"Master Rahool, every Cryptarch interprets history but, honestly, how often do they get to make it? This recording is important and not just for posterity", he pleaded.

"As you know, I am an Exo and I've lost so much I've experienced but I'm making new memories now. I've plumbed the depths of the Hive's Lunar catacombs, stormed a Cabal Firebase, witnessed the Vex worship in the Black garden, and breached Fallen strongholds all the while my Ghost has scanned and recorded these encounters. But for all his efforts it is my thoughts he cannot capture. With The Taken here, a wholly new threat, we need every scrap of data on them and for everyone to know how they live, think, and fight. We cannot be caught unawares and I refuse to let not just the Last City be captured but any further inch of our space."

The Cryptarch turned to the floating intelligence, "Are you recording this?"

"Indubitably", the Ghost bobbed with its response.

"So you'll do it?", she punctuated her question by quickly sheathing her hunting knife

With a sigh the old Cryptarch pinched the bridge of his nose.

 _A war machine designed for protection was why she was created, to serve as an ageless defender of those more fragile and apt to mortality than herself. Now she is returned to purpose to rectify her failure in death, to restore peace and bring light to where the darkness wills itself purchase. In this New Age a terrible threat has crossed paths with The Awoken and left a grievous wound in The Rings of Saturn..._


	2. Our fearful trip is done

"A number of Guardians say that the scream one hears when the Taken portal into the field of battle is the sound of their dimensional vacuum drawing in our air. The violence of such an act just a byproduct of the arrival of their forces", he stated through steepled cerulean fingers.

"Thats a lie", she spat with a heavy flanging. "A damned lie."

"How can you be so sure?"

The Ghost's back half gave a wobbled spin, "Eris told us in order to track down Crota's Father we'd have to enter a larger version of their portals."

"The Shard from the Moon", she pulled the front of her hood a bit more forward, "Crota's Soul."

"Yes, yes I have your footage but - oh, you crossed into a Rupture on the Dreadnaught"

"Much larger than the black bubbles that Its not a vacuum its the cries of all the things It takes."

"Oryx?"

"No, what the Hive God served or wielded or… its The Darkness."

"Ogre, Psions, Vandals, it didn't matter how big or infamous they once were. They screamed all the same." The Hunter balled a fist to stop the twitching of her trigger finger.

"Hunter, he's dead and gone", the older man placed a light hand on her shoulder. "So you needn't be so anxious. What you saw, what you and your fireteam accomplished, is all in the past and despite the forces of The Darkness that remain. You did well."

The bone white plates that lined the levitating intelligence contracted, "Its not that, Master. Its the patrols, specifically when their forces arrive."

"I am aware of the phenomena."

"You'll notice in the more recent recordings that - the sound the portals make are different."

The Cryptarch made several fast hand gestures and a series of video projections lit the darkened booth he manned.

"Yes, a sight variance in the audio."

"My fireteam, we passed through in a second through that rupture but when the Taken arrive now you can hear us all screaming still."


	3. so much depends

Plumes of Martian dust filled her field of vision as the enemy poured round after round into her wall of void light. Violaceous flames roared masking the whir of the hand cannon's cylinder during the Hunter's fourth reload in half as many minutes.

"Terrible shot", he murmured to himself as he performed a quick count of the iridescent beads placed in front of him. "I shall give you twelve hundred for all of this. Unless you have any engrams to decode or spare Network Keys?"

"That's not fair", she accused while snatching the pile of glowing cubes.

"What? It is the standard rate of two hundred for Axiomatic Beads. You can take them to The Reef, their Cryptarchs will give you the same."

."No", the Ghost piped up. "The Guardian here means it's not fair to judge her shooting from the latest recordings."

"Oh? There doesn't seem to be any Taken arrivals, just the bulky armored Cabal troops banging their shields and blind firing as always."

The Hunter gestured to the Cryptarch's right, pointing well past his booth, "That- that madman saddled me with the most awful… just, ugh."

"I do not understand."

"She means test weaponry from the Gunsmith. He asked her to field test them and - how did you phrase it again?"

"Its like pissing out a campfire."

"Oh, how crude", Rahool added with a grimace.

The Ghost sent out a quick beam of light and the recording continued to play from his partner's perspective. The offensive effects of the grenade wore off and the Exo took a running start, the large one handed weapon swung into view, the recording clearly revealing the familiar double crossed orange logo.

"You charged Phalanxes?"

"I know, thats what I told her right after the fight."

"Highly unusual, they are close quarters specialists."

She waved a dismissive hand at her two detractors, "They would've been hurt worse if I used harsh language and hucked Eris' surplus of expired raisins."

"I am just say-"

The Exo shoved her purple and black gauntlet inches from Master Rahool's face, "Oh so we're not watching the recording. Fine. I'll sum it up, I slid then hopped up into a Shadowshot, tethered them all and popped smoke, poisoning them all. Alright?"

"Rude", her small partner casually pushed her arm away from the Cryptarch's face.

"Yes, well, you two are always a pleasure. Now this had nothing to do with The Taken, so why are you showing me this recording?"

"Before she so abruptly summarized the experience we were wondering if you could talk to Banshee-44 and maybe, possibly ask someone else to test those weapons."

The Cryptarch shook his head.

"I see…"


	4. by the dawn's early light

"Look at me", she calmly instructed as she gently clutched her companion and turned his shifting form.

"I said look at me, Ghost. Take the ship back to the Tower and show-"

"No", he interrupted with a scrape of his shell against her gauntlets.

"Twelve… no, thirteen. Thirteen hostiles", the AI's optical sensor darted seemingly wildly across the flaming, broken landscape.

"- and show Master Rahool everything about the Echoes."

The mechanical Hunter released her Ghost and made to get up from her covered crouch.

He responded with a startled bob, "I'll come back with help. I promise."

"I don't want you to coming back here. Ever."

His sensor dimmed.

With a flange filled laugh she tapped her friend right in the middle of his sensor, "Everyone else left me, cleared out ten minutes ago when their Ghosts could barely keep up with the resurrections. But you stayed with my stubborn self and this time I tell you not to follow, instead to return home and finish our work with that old crank of a Cryptarch."

"I can no longer synthesize any more ammunition for you, and your sword is complete out of charges."

"Exactly, I'm out of ammo but I have my trip mines to get my back, knife for when I'm out of harsh language, and, with a lil' patience, the Golden Gun. Now go, Little Light, and be well."

The Exo bounded out from behind the rocky outcropping, almost on cue the ominous scream of a Taken portal opening filled the air. With a quick toss she planted a trip mine directly below the growing onyx orb. As quickly as they appeared the Taken psions detonated in a yellow flash and were gone.

Ghost backed away slowly, its optics still tracking his Guardian as her footing found purchase in the air itself and launched her further into the dark, Hive carved room within the Dreadnaught.

"Fight well, my friend."


	5. on the back of the wind

The duo turned towards each other ever so subtly, "I think we're good, thank you for the offer though."

The hot liquid sloshed dangerously close to the lip of the metal tumbler as he offered his drink, "It is quite good coffee. It's fueled my work these past, almost two years."

Ghost shifted quickly and butted up against the Hunter's head with an audible clink, "My friend and I are not the caffeinating type. No rest for the wicked, sleep is for the weak, and every other cliche she tells other Guardians."

"Ah, yes, of course. So what brings you my way, more recordings? Insights?"

"Oh, no no. We've been taking part in Lord Shaxx's war games. So no new field data just yet."

"An effort to avoid running into Taken while on patrol?"

The Exo offered a quick shrug in response.

"Besides, the two of us just thought it wouldn't be right to come to the tower for more bounties without a proper greeting for you, Master Rahool."

"Sentimentality, not unusual for you two but I have work to-"

"STOP!"

The recording froze at the Cryptarch's sudden command to the fist sized Intelligence.

Ghost visibly sank a bit lower while hovering in the air, "I am sorry, Master Rahool. She said to share everything with you."

He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath as the purpling of his face started to shift back to its normal blue.

"No, it is quite alright. I am not used to being involved in such a manner with Guardians. Most look to the Cryptarchy as a source of glimmer and knowledge not… this."

The night was rather still as the two stared a bit at the still image of the same area they were standing in now.

"Zavala already dispatched a couple of Guardians to seek her out back in the Dreadnaught. They're equipping and wrapping up here in the Tower before I head out with them."

"Did she not say for you not to come back for her?"

Ghost spun the back half of his shell and bobbed back, "as you know we've always played things a bit unorthodox."

"Now when you next see her remind the Hunter for you to both come back before I get bored."


End file.
